Self and egbert liddell



(No Model.)

W. SYLVESTER.

BOTTLE STOPPER.

No. 269,484. Patented Dec. 19, 1882.

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- 7 UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM SYLVESTER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIM- SELF AND ROBERT LIDDELL,' OF SAME ILAOE. I

BOTTLE-STO PPE R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,484, dated December 19, 1882. Application filed November 13, 1882. (X model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SYLVEs'rER, a citizen of England, residing at Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania,

have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Bottle-Stoppers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichlike letters indicating like parts Figures 1 and 2 are vertical views of a bottie and stopper illustrative of my invention. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the bottle illustra- 1 tive of the construction of shoulder or head surrounding the mouth, and Fig. 4 illustrates by detached views separate parts of the stop per.

My invention relates to that class of bottlestoppers known as internal, in which a bail is employed for manipulating the stopper.

The purpose of my invent-ion is to provide a stopper-bail of such form and construction that it may be employed to manipulate the stopper 5 in opening and closing the bottle, and when the stopper is down or opened will leave the bottle-mouth open and practically unobstructed,

' so that the filling-pipe may be inserted with substantially the same facility and ease as 0 when outside stoppers are used.

In general terms my improvement may be stated to consistof an internal stopperand bail, the latter being formed of two upwardly-divergent arms of wire, open or unconnected at the top, the upper ends of which are curved outward and downward, forming hooks adapted to ride over and engage the under face of an external bead or shoulder surrounding the bottle-mouth, and by engaging the same to 40 hold the stopper from its seat. In this position the arms of the bail are so disposed as to leave the bottle-month open and practically unobstructed, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, A represents a bottle having a short upwardly tapering or converging neck, a, around the mouth of which is an exterior rim, bead, or shoulder, a. The upper exterior corner of this bead is by preference o rounded somewhat, as'at 0, while the under face is flat with a sharp angular shoulder, as

of rubber or other suitable packing material,

which is placed over the rounded end of the plug, and is held in place thereon by the bail S and its fastening. The bail is formed by preference ofone piece of wire, which is bent at the center, forming an open loop, 8, and shoulders s on either side a little above. In putting the parts of the stopper together this 6 end 8 is passed through a slot, 0 of corresponding size in the rubber disk 0, and a metal tang or strap, 6 formed on the upper end of the plug, is bent over and through the loop, thus securing the bail to the plug and holding the disk between the rounded end of the plug and the shoulders s of the bail. This fastening will ordinarily be sufficient; butif greater strength and stability are desired for any reason the loop end 8 may be soldered to the plug; or it may be cast solid in the body of the plug when the latter is formed, such plugs being formed usually of some soft malleable metal or metallic composition. The other ends of the two divergent arms 8 of the bail are bent outward, as at r, in such form and size that the bent part may pass downward over the head a, as in Fig. 1, and the inwardly-bent or book ends 'r may catch under the shoulders c of the bead, and thereby hold the stopper down 011' its seat while emptying or filling the bottle.

In opening the bottle the stopper is pushed down in the usual way by pressure upon the bail S, and the hook ends 1* may be pressed over the head a at any convenient point, rido ing over the rounded corner 0; or they may be turnedin line with the notches a pressed do'wnward, and then turned or rotated to bring the ends 0'' under the shoulders c, as represented. Then it is desired to close the bottle this op- 5 oration may be reversed--that is, the bail may be turned until the hooks r, register with the notches a when the stopper may be raised to its seat either by an upward pull on the bail or pressure of gas in the bottle. :00

It will be observed that the bail-arms s are unconnected at their upper ends, and that their divergence is such as to carry them to or neaily to the sides of the bottle-mouth when pulled down, thereby leaving the central part of the mouth open and practically unobstructd, and the usual filling-pipe may therefore be inserted with as much ease as in the case of outsidestoppers. lhisfeatureofimprovement adds materially to the convenience of this class of stoppers and removes one serious objection or difficulty in the way of their use.

I claim herein as my inventionl. A bottle, A, having an exterior'bead, at, around its mouth, in combination with stopper E and hail S, the latter having two divergent arms, 8 s unconnected attheir upper ends, such ends being bent outward, forming hooks r, adapted to engage the under shoulder of the bead a when the stopperis pushed down, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The bottle A, having an exterior bead, a,

' at its mouth, with notches c therein on opposite sides, in combination with stopper E and two divergent bail-arms, .s 3 extending upward from the stopper, unconnected at their upper ends, and having such upper ends bent outward in hooks 1", substantially as and't'or the purposes set forth.

3. The stopper-bail S, having central loop, 8, with shoulders s on its side arms above the loop, in combination with the packing-disk 6, having opening (2 therein, adapted to receive the loop end s of the bail, and the plug a, having the fastening-tang e thereon for securing the bail and packing-disk, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereot'l have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM SYLVESTEB.

Witnesses R. H. WHI'r'rLEsEY, (3. L. PARKER. 

